Astros Rumors

Astros Sign Ryan Sadowski

By Zachary Links | December 5, 2009 at 2:59pm CDT

Ryan Sadowski, who made his major league debut with the Giants in June, has signed with the Houston Astros, writes Theo Fightmaster of the Marin Independent Journal.

The 27-year-old righty was called up for the first time after spending six years in the minors. Sadowski recorded a rather pedestrian ERA of 4.45 in six late-season starts. More notably, the "Big Sadowski" recorded 16.2 scoreless innings to start his big league career.

Odds & Ends: Jenks, Polanco, Tate, Marquis

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 3, 2009 at 12:49pm CDT

Some links for Thursday…

John Manuel of Baseball America ranks all 30 MLB farm systems at SI.com. The Rangers, Rays and Giants top the list.
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick lists nine potential free agent bargains.
Keith Law, Dave Cameron and Tyler Hissey don't like the Placido Polanco deal from the Phillies' standpoint.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates have tentative interest in Xavier Nady and Ron Villone, who are both Scott Boras clients.
Sam Borden of the Journal News wonders how many long-term contracts the Yanks can take on.
The Yankees get the sense that Andy Pettitte isn't done yet, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
They aren't expected to consider an extension for Joe Girardi this offseason.
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that the White Sox have begun preliminary talks with arbitration-eligible reliever Bobby Jenks.
Placido Polanco appears to be nearing a three-year deal with the Phillies, but the Astros have some interest in the Gold Glover, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
Curtis Granderson tells MLB.com's Jason Beck that he doesn't let the trade talk get to him.
The Rockies have tentative plans to meet with Rafael Betancourt's representatives this coming Monday, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
As Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, Donavan Tate, the Padres' third overall selection in the June draft, was injured in an ATV accident. He broke his jaw, but should be ready for Spring Training.
Jason Marquis had a falling out with the Rockies, so Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests he isn't likely to accept the team's offer of arbitration.
MLB.com's Matthew Leach explains why long-term deals are becoming less frequent in MLB.
Juan Castro passed his physical, so his deal with the Phils is now offiicial, according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Phils Sign Polanco To Three-Year Deal

By Luke Adams 2 | December 3, 2009 at 12:18pm CDT

12:18pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that the deal is official.

11:44am: Stark reports that the deal will be complete once Polanco passes a physical.

9:35am: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki hears that the Phils are close to signing Polanco to a three-year deal worth $18MM. The contract, which is pending a physical, includes a mutual option for 2013.

9:10am: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Phils are "believed to be" closing in on a three-year deal worth $18MM with Polanco. The deal should be finalized today.

8:44am: Stark hears indications that the sides are discussing a three-year deal.

THURSDAY, 8:23am: Rob Bradford of WEEI.com hears that Polanco is "close" to a deal with the Phillies.

8:57pm: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark classifies Philadelphia's talks with Polanco as "very serious" and Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports concur. A source "with knowledge of the Phillies' intentions" tells the FOX duo that the NL champs could offer Polanco a two-year deal worth between $10MM and $12MM.

7:18pm: Now that signing Polanco won't mean parting with draft picks, one team after another is being linked to the infielder. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports that the Philadelphia Phillies are focusing on Polanco for their third base opening, as opposed to Adrian Beltre or Mark DeRosa. Zolecki acknowledges Houston's and Boston's interest, but writes that "it appears the Phillies are further down the line in their pursuit."

7:08pm: MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that Polanco has also "drawn serious interest" from the Houston Astros.

WEDNESDAY, 5:32pm: The Boston Red Sox have expressed interest in Placido Polanco, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne. A source tells Browne that the Tigers' decision not to offer Polanco arbitration yesterday landed the second baseman on Boston's radar.

Polanco doesn't seem like a fit for the Red Sox unless the team asks Dustin Pedroia about playing shortstop, as has been rumored. If Pedroia moved to short, the Sox could sign Polanco for second base without having to give up any draft picks, whereas signing a Type A shortstop like Marco Scutaro would cost the club their first-rounder. Browne notes that Pedroia has said he "would welcome" a move to the left side of the infield.

As Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe indicated earlier, and Tim reiterated today in our Red Sox offseason outlook, switching Pedroia's position is probably a last resort. It looks like the team is keeping all their options open though.

Astros Rumors: Pitching Targets, Valverde, Tejada

By Luke Adams 2 | December 2, 2009 at 8:30pm CDT

Houston Astros Senior Director of Digital Media Alyson Footer invited her Twitter followers to participate in a Q&A with Astros GM Ed Wade. The exchange resulted in too many tweets to individually link them all, but check out her Twitter account for some quotes from the conversation. Here are a few points of interest:

If the team cannot retain Jose Valverde and/or LaTroy Hawkins, Wade notes that there are other back-of-the-bullpen options out there. He says the club would prefer to have Valverde return as their closer, but mentions Fernando Rodney, Kevin Gregg, Rafael Soriano, and Mike Gonzalez as potential alternatives.
The Astros will "proceed with caution" when it comes to pursuing pitchers like Ben Sheets, who have questionable injury histories. Wade pointed to Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz as cautionary tales.
Wade doesn't expect to have a whole lot of money to commit to any starting pitching additions, given the other holes the team needs to fill.
The GM singles out Randy Wolf as one starter who is "probably not realistic" due to his expected price tag.
As much as the team would like to bring back Miguel Tejada, the market for the veteran will dictate whether they'll be able to afford it.
The team might acquire a stopgap behind the plate, but would prefer if one of their in-house options could step up and earn the starting job.

Heyman On Pudge, Wolf, Crede

By Tim Dierkes | December 2, 2009 at 2:57pm CDT

The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

The Giants, Mets, and Royals have interest in free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, assuming he doesn't accept the Rangers' arbitration offer. Heyman says the Royals were trying to sign Brian Schneider before the Phillies signed him.
Heyman names the Mets, Brewers, and Phillies as three clubs "believed to have some interest" in free agent lefty Randy Wolf. First we've read this winter of a possible Wolf-Phillies reunion.
"At least the Orioles and Astros" are interested in free agent third baseman Joe Crede.

Odds & Ends: Hudson, Wolf, Betancourt, Braves

By Tim Dierkes | December 2, 2009 at 1:55pm CDT

Links for Wednesday…

The Reds signed pitcher Jon Adkins to a minor league deal, according to the pitcher's Twitter (hat tip to The Hall Of Very Good). Adkins spent 2009 pitching in Korea.
The Giants were right not to offer arbitration to Bengie Molina, writes Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles.
Chris Pummer as well as our own Howard Megdal from The Perpetual Post weigh in on Andruw Jones, who recently signed with the White Sox for $500K.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News discusses the chances of the Giants signing Miguel Tejada, Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, or Hudson.
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says the Mariners are interested in Orlando Hudson, at the right price. The lack of an arbitration offer helps.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs looks at Ned Colletti's claim that the Dodgers' decision not to offer arbitration to Type A free agent Randy Wolf "was made strictly from a baseball perspective."
No surprise here: Astros GM Ed Wade indicated that a reunion with Wolf is unlikely (MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reporting). Wade also downplayed the reports linking the Astros to Brett Myers and J.J. Putz, saying, "We've made contact with agents for about every player out there as a matter of course. I would not read anymore into it than that."
ESPN's Buster Olney believes Rafael Betancourt "could be the player whose market is most affected" among the ten Type As offered arbitration.
Ken Davidoff of Newsday questions the Mets' Billy Wagner trade from August.
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if the Braves might now pursue a setup man such as Octavio Dotel or Fernando Rodney.
Corey Brock and Steve Gilbert have Winter Meetings previews at MLB.com for the Padres and Diamondbacks, respectively.
Diamond Leung links to stories indicating the Chiba Lotte Marines "are interested in purchasing the contract of Dodgers left-hander Eric Stults." Stults posted a 4.86 ERA in ten starts for the Dodgers last year, making another 13 starts in the minors.

Phillies, Pirates, Astros Eyeing J.J. Putz

By Tim Dierkes | December 2, 2009 at 11:15am CDT

The Phillies, Pirates, and Astros have inquired on free agent reliever J.J. Putz, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Earlier today, Crasnick named the Rangers as a suitor.

It was a lost season with the Mets for Putz, who pitched only 29.3 innings due to an elbow problem. Back in 2006-07, Putz was one of the game's best relievers, striking out 186 and walking just 26 while compiling a 1.86 ERA. His '06 season led to a three-year, $13.1MM extension with the Mariners. He joined the Mets a year ago as part of a three-way trade.

While Putz would prefer to close this year, he'd be open to an eighth-inning job.

Rangers, Astros Eyeing Brett Myers

By Tim Dierkes | December 2, 2009 at 8:23am CDT

The Rangers and Astros have interest in free agent righty Brett Myers, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Myers, 29, posted a 4.84 ERA in 70.6 innings this year, working around hip surgery. We learned last month that the Phillies won't be re-signing Myers, who is open to starting or relieving in 2010.

For the Astros, using Myers in the rotation would probably mean bumping Felipe Paulino. The Astros' rotation actually isn't too bad, but added depth would be nice. The Astros could use back-end bullpen help as well, with the statuses of Jose Valverde and LaTroy Hawkins up in the air.

Crasnick names Myers and J.J. Putz as pitchers on the Rangers' radar; they're apparently hoping to sign a pitcher to an incentive-based deal. The Rangers have good rotation depth, so Myers might fit better in the bullpen.

Odds & Ends: Kuo, DeRosa, Dye, Blue Jays

By Tim Dierkes | December 1, 2009 at 4:32pm CDT

With all the arbitration decisions flying around today, we haven't had time for an Odds & Ends until now.

Diamond Leung tweeted last night that the Yankees "signed Taiwanese 18-year-old infielder Fu-Lin Kuo to six-figure bonus." Taiwan Baseball says Kuo received about $150K.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the Cardinals, Phillies, Mets, and Giants as suitors for Mark DeRosa. ESPN's Buster Olney heard that a few teams are concerned with DeRosa's range at third base.
Fungoes shows us "when the hot stove is the hottest," graphically. Looks about right to me…peaks in December, stays hot in January.
A.J. Burnett talked to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News about Roy Halladay potentially being traded.
Juan Castro will take his physical Thursday according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer; if he passes, his one-year deal with the Phillies will be official.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about potential fits for Jermaine Dye, noting that the Yankees have discussed him internally. Crasnick says geography will not be a major factor for Dye.
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweeted comments from Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos regarding their search for a catcher. Anthopoulos is eyeing some potential non-tenders. Dioner Navarro and John Buck come to mind, with Kelly Shoppach going to the Rays.
The market for Miguel Tejada should be decent now that he certainly will not cost a draft pick. SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Cardinals, Phillies, Giants, Rangers, and Astros are interested. Rangers?
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers officially announced their minor league deal with John Halama today.
Nick Green's agent Tom O'Connell tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday his client is drawing "significant interest" on Major League contracts.

Astros Offer Arb To Valverde, Not Tejada, Hawkins, Brocail

By Tim Dierkes | December 1, 2009 at 2:50pm CDT

The Astros offered arbitration only to Jose Valverde (A) and not Miguel Tejada (A), LaTroy Hawkins (A), or Doug Brocail (B), according to the team's Senior Director of Digital Media Alyson Footer.

Interesting relief choices; I'd predicted no arbitration offers to Valverde or Hawkins. That said, an offer to Valverde always made sense. He does not seem likely to accept arbitration and take a one-year deal. The Astros are known to have an offer on the table to Hawkins, so maybe they didn't want to complicate the picture by offering arbitration.

You might consider Valverde the loser here and Hawkins the winner, as Valverde will now come with a draft pick cost attached.

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